NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2260, 15 June 1880, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

—o— The entries for the Maiden and Cup races and the acceptances for the Tally-ho Handicap close this evening at the Grosvcnor Hotel, at 8 o’clock. Several jurors had the narrowest possible escape of contributing £5 a-piccc this morning to the public revenue. They failed to appear when called and when they did come they got a particularly “tall talking” to from His Honor. The late ones pleaded that they lived for the most part, out of Timaru, and that they could not h"lp the present railway arrangements by which they wore delayed in reaching the court ami His Honor expressed his opinion that special trains should run to enable people having business at the Supreme Court to attend, and he let them oh.

Two first offenders were fined 5s each for drunkenness this morning.

A man named Kane was arrested at Waimatc to-day on a charge Of neglecting to support his child aged three yeans. The youngster had been left in charge of a person at Thnaru, the father undertaking to pay os weekly for its support, but lie disappeared shortly afterwards, audit is said that since January last he has 'contributed* nothing. Kane will appear before the bench to-morrow.

Silence is golden. The lion Hr Drycc will refrain from making any Ministerial statement this session on Motive affairs.

Poverty and crime arc twin companions! About MhO persons arc at present located in the Dunedin gaol.

The Jl’celing at ilo.sl.yn, near Dunedin, which voted hy a majority in favor of the property tax was attended by thirty persons.

James Hill, formerly steward of the hospital at New Plymouth, has boon arrested and remanded on a charge of embezzling stores.

At a hunt moot in;' up North a certain Miss St. Jack performed the equestrian lout of breaking the neck of a valuable marc without damaging her own.

The citizens of Auckland last evening passed resolutions in favor of the abolition of the property tax, and the imposition of a land tax and income tax ; also, a declaratory resolution that economy and retrenchment were urgently demanded in the conduct of public affairs.

A contemporary referring to the wholesale poisoning of rabbits at Mount Monger, devoutly remarks: —“It is a matter for thankfulness that so much interest is being taken in this movement, otherwise this district would soon become lit for nothing—all animal life would have to succumb, owing to the scarcity of pasturage.” We should have thought it was the abundance of animal life that necessitated the poison.

The ’Wellington licensed victuallers have appointed a deputation to wait on the local brewers, and arrange about the payment of the tax on beer. Messrs Marshall and Joel, two Dunedin brewers, proceed to Wellington for the purpose of acting with other delegates and lobbying the members. A petition against the beer tax is to be forwarded from New Plymouth. It is calculated that the brewers of Dunedin will have to pay .■£32,000 annually should the beer lax become law.

The new' Electoral llegistration laws have made a decidedly favorable impression on the Waitaki roll, which contains 237 d names, being an increase of (i(X) over that of last year. This is the first moderate sized constituency in which the working of the existing facilities for enrolment have been practically tested. If the result can be taken as a criterion the ultimate consequence of the legislation of last session will be to augment the number of electors by fully one third. The Government and Major Atkinson arc in a desperate strait about their property tax. They refuse to give the unpopular article up, and they are anxious to give it as pleasant a face as possible. .Having whittled off several excrescences, such as the tax on furniture and books, it has now been resolved to issue new schedules that will enable every unfortunate taxpayer to become Ids owa assessor, and the time for filling up these documents is to bo extended for a month. Why don’t the Major put a duty on trading politicians, and throw his obnoxious bantling away altogether.

An extraordinary scene is reported to have taken place in the Supreme Court Napier, yesterday. One of the prisoners, .John Doyd, alias Hutton pleaded guilty to a charge of obstructing the railway. AYhon asked if he had anything to say for himself he launched forth some most horrible profanity and lilthy language swearing at Judge Richmond, at the gaoler, and at tiro police. His Honor remarked that the man must be mad, when, with a string of oaths, he declared that it was His Honor who was mad. His Honor sentenced him to fifteen years' penal servitude, saying he was either a dangerous lunatic or a criminal of the worst class. He added that ho would represent the case to the Minister of Justice"

Important gold discoveries have been made at Mohaka within a clay’s ride from Napier. At tin Napier Criminal Sessions, yesterday, the charge against Heiiaka, a Maori medicine man, of causing the cioai.li of llonon.ua by at tempting do roast an evil spirit out of him, was proceeded with, ifis Honor treated the offence lightly, but the grand jury returned a true bill, and the common jury returned a verdict of guilty. Tho Maoris in their evidence showed a strong feeling against the prisoner, and taunted him with cowardice in roasting an old, blind, infirm and weak man, when there were plenty of young ones to operate on. The prisoner complained that he could not he held accountable for the death of a patient who was withdrawn from his treatment, he (licriaka) having been arrested. He also urged that the roasting was a Maori surgical practice, and that he had been mercilessly punished by the other natives, his worldly possessions even to his wife having been confiscated. His Honor said he did not think the prisoner had acted with wrong intentions, and inflicted a sentence of oho month’s hard labor.

A meeting of merchants and others to consider the beer tax and Licensing Act will be held in the Club Hotel this evening.